What is a music video?

What is a music video?

Make a list of as many music genres that you can think of:

Pop                  

Rock                

Hip hop            

R&B                 

Funky house

Bashment

Reggae

Garage

Opera

Dubstep

Dancehall

For each genre that you have wrote down identify an artist that belongs to that genre:

Pop – Michael Jackson

Rock – Evanescence

Hip hop – Jay Z

R&B – Rihanna

Bashment – Mavado

Funky house – Dj Versatile

Reggae – Singing sweet

Garage – Ms Dynamite

Opera – Susan Boyle

Dubstep – Skream

Dancehall – Beenie man

Task 3:

What is the purpose of a music video?

·                     A market tool to promote a artist/song

·                     A short narrative or representation of the artist

·                     To attract a particular target audience

·                     To identify an artist/group

·                     To buy into the artists lifestyle

·                     To show the different generic conventions of a genre/music video

·                     For the audience to remember the music video

·                     To make a song available to a wide audience

·                     To show more about the artist

·                     The audience request music videos

·                     To build a relationship with the artist

·                     For the audience to understand more about a song

The video contains all 3 elements:

Performance- the artist singing

Narrative- the different images of people

Concept- everyone is beautiful

 Looking at Christina Aguilera’s music video “Beautiful” I can see that the music video has many purposes. This music video can help her attract more of a bigger audience because people can relate to her. Most people doubt themselves and don’t think too good of themselves so this song is for anybody who is insecure to make them feel better about themselves, because nobody is perfect, meaning that it is for a wide audience base. A song is basically a story so a music video is used to portray the song, and the music video fitted in very well with the words of the song which gave it more meaning leaving the audience to have a 100% understanding on the song. The audience will be able to build a relationship with the artist from this song because they know how the artist is feeling whilst singing that song, and a lot of people may have that in common with the artist which helps get in touch with the feelings. This song contains a narrative which represents the artist which makes people enjoy that artists music and like them for who they are because they are being real. If a particular audience will like this song because of the narrative it will persuade them to listen to her other songs which will start getting her a fan base because they will realise they like her music. It takes for the viewers to enjoy one song to start listening and enjoying the rest.

·                     What are the generic conventions of an RnB music video?

An RnB music video will contain generic conventions such as fast cuts to each shot; it won’t spend no longer than 5-10 seconds on one shot. It will usually contain band performance and narrative. Its main focus will be on the lead singer, but it will also focus on stereotypes, for example Beyoncé’s music video for ‘run the world’ because it is a negative stereotype because stereotypically it is known that men run the world. It will contain more close ups because the artist is very important in an R&B music video, so the main focus has to be on the artist. The lighting, depending on the song, will usually have bright lighting because it’s supposed to give a happy feeling and darkness doesn’t usually bring happiness. R&B music videos would usually use soft casual colours such as blue or yellow or red, this is because It cannot disappoint anybody, whereas the colour black would more likely be used in a rock music video. An R&B music video would use a lot of props because there is always usually a big story behind each song so they will use big props such as cars, mirrors, etc.,. In an R&B music video you could expect to see them wearing anything because if it is a song produced by a celebrity like Beyonce or Lady Gaga, you know that they will be wearing extravagant outfits, you wouldn’t usually see the singers wearing something really casual like jeans and a top, it does happen but very rarely. R&B music videos tend to contain a lot of dancing, if you look at singers such as Jason Derulo or Usher who are known for their dancing too.

·                     What are the generic conventions of a girl band music video?

A girl band music video will always try as hard as possible to attract the male audience which will get them a bigger audience so they will dress up in their videos as if they are going clubbing for example, short dresses etc., to make them look as attractive as possible. They would not do their make up in any funky way as which Lady Gaga would; they would just do it normally and casually as they are seen as more serious. A girl band music video doesn’t usually contain many props because it usually has all the girls together doing a performance based video. In a girl band there if obviously more than one or two people so in a girl band music video you will see many straight cuts happening really quickly because there are a lot of singers and they need to show each one by themself, in a close up too. Girl bands are usually very girly so the colours that would get used are most likely to be very feminine colours such as pink or purple. A girl band music video would use bright lighting to show the singers off more and you can see them more clearly.

·                     What are the generic conventions of a rock music video?

In a rock music video you are most likely to have quite dark lighting and dark colours as that is what they enjoy the most, if you look at most rock videos you will notice the similarities, such as they always contain a musical instrument such as a guitar or drums, and when it’s a girl that is singing they will always have a microphone. Camera shots in a rock music video will be the same as any other video depending on the tempo of the song, as if it is a very hyper and loud song the camera shots will move very fast, however if it is a very slow and emotional song the camera will rarely do quick shots it will most likely follow the singer and move slowly panning around.

·                     What are the generic conventions of the following music videos?

1)    Girl band- The Saturday’s “Work” – In the Saturdays music video for ‘work’ the lighting is quite dark with bright lights randomly flashing and shining into the camera at times, this can give off quite a mysterious effect and make the characters in the video seem more attractive and appealing which is what they will be doing to attract a more bigger audience. One long shot is used when it is showing the girls altogether so you are able to see all of them and their full body. However close ups are used of them all individual, especially when they are singing. The video does not use any iconography other than the stage that the girls are standing on, this is because the video is performance based so there is no props that need to be used. The girls are dressed up as if they are going clubbing or for a night out, but in this case it’s because they are performing on stage, this is used to attract a bigger audience because the girls look attractive.

2)    Rock- In the music video ‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence, they have used black and white throughout the whole music video, this is because the song is quite a serious and sad song so if they was to use bright colours it would make the mood happy when it’s not so the black and white was used as an effect to set the mood. The video towards the end starts to contain a band playing many music instruments such as drums, and guitars which is stereotypical for rock music videos. However throughout the video it shows a guy sitting by a piano, relating back to the lighting this can help to set the mood and make it seem emotional. The editing in this video is really slow; the camera just pans around most of the time and slowly travels around the screen zooming in and out, this is because it is not a very upbeat song. People usually always expect rock songs to be all energetic however they are not there are some slow ones too.   

3)    RnB- In the music video ‘Let it burn’ by Usher, it has used bright  but soft colours, this is because it is quite an emotional song so soft colours would be needed rather than harsh bright colours because they are usually happy colours, one of the main colours used in this music video is orange which is a very calm colour. The colours that are usually used in a music set the mood, This music video relates back to the lyrics when coming to iconography, as the song is called let it burn and burning is to do with fire, so in the music video they set the swimming pool on fire as if it is ‘burning’, in the swimming is the girl swimming so it is basically saying to let his relationship with the girl burn, in other words he is giving up on her. An RnB music video most of the time will be performance based because it will always have the artist singing into a camera or dancing, which is classed as performance. This music video contains a lot of fast cuts because it is trying to show the emotion building up in one character whilst they are seeing the other character, however the editing in this video uses slow motion this is used to create a more emotional feeling. The character in this song is dressed very casually just to show off his normal side, however the other character in this video is wearing a bikini but this is because the character is going swimming, however this can be used to try attract more of a male audience towards to song and singer because it will automatically have the girl audience but not much of the male.

4)    Boy band- A boy bands main target is to attract the female audience so in a boy band music video they will dress to impress. This could mean not dressing like their normal casual self but dressing in something that will attract the female audiences eyes. For example in the music video ‘I want it that way’ by Backstreet Boys, they all dress to fit their character, so some of them are wearing suits as some females like their men smart, however one is dressed in combat trousers to maybe show a more rebel side which some girls may love. In this music video they have used extremely bright lighting and colours, this is because it is a very up beat song and gives the audience a chance to see them better. In this music video they use a lot of close up shots; this is conventional in a boy band music video because the female audience would like to see their favourite band members face close up. Boy band music videos are usually mainly performance based meaning that they will rarely use props, in this video towards the end it starts to show the boy band talking to their fans and giving them flowers which is one prop, this is conventional for the music video because it shows that they care for their fans and appreciate them which will make their audience become better if they know that the celebrity that they are supporting appreciates them.

5)    Pop- In the music video for ‘They don’t care about us’ by Michael Jackson they use a lot of long shots this is to show the surrounding and the location that they are in. This is important because they are basically showing the whole community coming together as one and working together so it needs to do long shots to show all the people too. The song uses very bright primary colours this is because it is a very positive song and if you use colours like black or grey that will give the song a dull mood and feeling. The song is all performance based as everybody in the video is performing as they are all dancing around, playing instruments and singing. The music video is very bright as it is based during the day this can also give off a happy feeling because if the brightness is quite low it will give off a sadder vibe. The only props that the video contains in instruments that are being played by all the people in that community, mainly drums are being used. However props do come across when looking at the houses.

6)    Dance- In the music video ‘Get it right’ by Jennifer Lopez it is all fast cuts, this is because it is a very up beat song that has quite a fast beat so the cuts are moving in time with the music. The music video is both narrative and performance based as it has a lot of singing and dancing being performed towards the character however it is done in the story line such as on the TV inside the club that they are in. In this music video a lot of long shots are used, this is because when the characters are dancing you need to be able to see their whole body to see the dancing, also to see everything that is going on in the club. Close ups are used when the main singer is singing to the camera. As the song is based inside the club, many props will be needed such as drink glasses, headphones for the DJ, bags for the women to carry etc. Bright colours and bright lighting is used in this video, however when they are in the club the lighting is more darker but still gives off a happy vibe.

7)    Rap- In the music video ‘Doggystyle’ By snoop dogg they use a low angle shot, this makes the singer Snoop Dogg seem as though he has more power than everybody else. The music video is narrative based as the lyrics match what happens in the music video, especially when it comes to showing him turn into a dog. However it is also performance based as it has Snoop Dogg rapping to the camera. The music video uses bright lighting as it is not  negative song so it does not need to set a sad mood, so using bright lights and bright colours it shows a more happy mood. In this music video the props that are used are car tyres, many of them are randomly on the ground as Snoop Dogg is walking past them rapping. This music video sometimes uses fade’s to move from one shot to another, this leaves a calm mood as it is not jumping from each shot.

8)    Tiny pop- ‘Crazy Frog’ by Axel F has a very fast beat so each shot and edit transition changes to the beat of the music, however it does not do any fancy transitions it only uses straight cuts, but the camera follows behind the character most of the time. The music video is very colourful, this is because it is aimed at a more younger target audience and it will catch more attention to the eye if you see bright colours flashing around on the screen. It is a very up beat song so the mood is up beat meaning the brightness will be bright. The song is a cartoon however it does contain cartoon props such as a motorbike that they are driving on.

9)    Indie-  In the music video ‘Your Song’ by Ellie Goulding they use a lot of close up shots of her face, this is because although it is quite a happy song it is still a slow and in touch with your feelings song, so they done close ups to show the emotion and expression coming from the singer Ellie Goulding, this gives the audience a chance to connect with her more and have a better understanding of her feelings throughout this song. The song just uses normal colours with bright lighting this is because there is no sad mood that needs to be set, so by using bright lights it gives off a happy feeling towards the audience. The whole song just used straight cuts throughout. Ellie Goulding is dressed very casual in this music video, this could be to just show the real her instead of dressing up and pretending to be somebody she is not, this can help her get a bigger audience because audiences like it when they can relate back to a celebrity through music too.

10)  Grime- In the music video ‘Cold Roads’ by K Koke a lot of low angle camera shots have been used, this may be to show he has power and he is staying strong a positive against the world which relates back to the words of the song, that he has the power to stand alone. The video was recorded when it was dark outside so they have used bright lighting to make you able to see the character however the lighting is still quite dull and dark, this is also because it relates back to the words of the song. The artist is dressed very casual in something that he would normally wear on a normal day to day basis, this is because the words of the song would not relate back to him if he was standing there wearing a posh suit so his outfit also matched and related back to the song. The music video contained a lot of editing such as fading two screens together before moving onto another one, this was to give it a more clam effect rather than just jumping to one another, also it shows his life implying how it is all jumbled together and confusing so again it relates back to the song.

11) Garage- So Solid Crew are a garage band and they done a song called ’21 Seconds, This song used a high angle shot to show all the people in the video and where they are standing in what location. This video is performance based however still narrative as the way they are acting and dressed in the music video is not how they would usually be, they have dressed in all black in outfits that people would not wear on a normal day or even going out, and they have contact lenses in which make their eyes look scary, so they were trying to give off a different vibe to what they would normally show. The song is very up beat and fast so they have you many jump cuts moving in time with the music and beat of the song. The lighting is quite dark in this music video as they gave it quite a scary look.

12) Metal- In the music video ‘Poison’ By Alice Cooper, uses a variety of camera shots, a close up is used when they show the girl on the screen this could be to attract the male audience is they see a good looking girl in the video they are going to watch it so the close up can be to show her beauty, long shots are used when the whole band is shown together to show all of them playing their instruments. The music video used very dark lighting throughout; this made the video look more effective because it had bright lights flashing about everywhere making it seem more exciting. In the music video there was a girl that was dressed in white which is the only bright colour in the whole video; she was wearing a white dress which was used to attract a male audience seeing a very pretty girl walking around on the screen. The main singer was dressed in a leather jacket with leather trousers, all in black, this seems casual for this artist to be wearing.

Music videos are supposed to be performance based because it is natural to see the celebrity singing in the music video, however many of them are narrative based but still include performance alongside it. For example Ciara’s ‘Like A Boy’ music video, it is performance based because it has her dancing and singing throughout the music video, however it is narrative because what happens in the video relates back to the words of the song. The song is her singing about what it would be like if she was the boy in the relationship, moving forward in the music video it has her dressed as the boy dancing to show that she is the boy in the relationship now and showing what it would be like, it also has her sitting there singing the song as her normal self to the boy trying to give him a better understanding of how he is treating her. This song will gain a big audience because a lot of girls will relate back to this song, because girls are very in touch with their feelings they always feel as if the boy doesn’t understand however Ciara is putting her foot down and showing everybody how it really is. In the music video the lighting is bright throughout the whole video however the video is all in black and white so there is not much colour to brighten up, this is because they were trying to show how it should be mutual between the boy and girl, as if they have snapped out of the real world because she is not really a boy. It can be seen as a serious song however it is still a very energetic song that you can dance to. The camera does quite a lot of close ups of Ciara when she is dancing with loads of other girls dressed as boys, this is because they don’t want the attention to be taken from Ciara as she is the main singer so they do close ups to keep to main focus on her. The song uses straight cuts throughout, this is to keep in time with the music, as it’s not a slow song it should not have slow camera movement.